CCT TRIAL- SARAKI PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO AMENDED 16 CHARGES

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Thursday pleaded not guilty to amended 16 counts preferred against him by the Federal Government before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

The amendment to the original 13 counts added fresh counts including his failure to declare his interest in a foreign credit card account to which he allegedly transferred huge sums of money to while being Governor of Kwara State.

‎Originally, the Federal Government preferred against Saraki,13 counts, including charges of false and anticipatory asset declaration, as well as operation of foreign accounts, which he allegedly committed while being Governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

Saraki was re-arraigned before the tribunal on Thursday because of the amendment to the charges which added three fresh counts to the original 13 counts.

There have been two amendments of the original 13 counts which now brings the counts against the Senate President to 16.

The first amendment which brought in additional two counts  was made on April 18, 2016 while the latest made on April 27, 2016, added one fresh count.

The charges dated April 18 were withdrawn on Thursday.

The latest amendment was introduced by the prosecution and  accepted by the tribunal chairman, Danladi Umar, after overruling the defence led by Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN).

Umar ruled on Thursday that contrary to Usoro’s contention, the prosecution, under section 216(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act,  argued that ‎the prosecution was not required to file a motion to give the reasons for the amendment before it could be accepted by the tribunal.

The additional charges are contained in Counts 14 to 16.

‎In Count 14, the prosecution alleged that  Saraki committed another infraction in his asset declaration form  which he made to the Code of Conduct Bureau on June 3, 2011 at the end of his second tenure as Governor of Kwara State.

In the said Count 14, Saraki was said to have failed to declare his interest in “an American Express Service Card with No: 374588216836009 wherein you (Saraki) transferred huges sums of money in dollars from your Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account No441441953210 in Nigeria to the American Express Service, Europe, whilst you Executive Governor of Kwara State.”